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Tatarstan court to review schoolgirl murder case

The case will be tried by a jury behind closed doors

KAZAN, June 20 (Itar-Tass) -The Supreme Court of Tatarstan on Thursday, June 20 will review the criminal case over the murder of an eight-year-old schoolgirl.

"The case will be tried by a jury behind closed doors," Natalia Loseva, an aide to the chairman of the Court, told Itar-Tass. A panel of 12 jurors will be selected from 80 candidates.

The defendant is Farukh Tashbayev, a 30-year-old native of Uzbekistan. He is accused of abduction, sexual abuse of a minor, rape and murder of a minor.

Second-form pupil Vasilisa Galitsyna did not return home on February 2. Her mother reported her disappearance to police. On February 6, the girl was found slain.

The defendant, in the presence of the investigators and his lawyer showed the place where he had hidden the body. Investigator Marat Miftakhov said it would have been impossible to find the body without the defendant's tip, as it was hidden in a field, 42 kilometers from town. Tashbayev confessed to the murder during the first questioning.

He has been in custody.

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